If an Avengers: Endgame TV spot released earlier this month is anything to go by, then Dr. Erik Selvig was among the many victims of last year’s snap. But while it’s generally assumed that quite a few dusted characters will be showing up in next week’s release, it seems that Thor’s old friend will be one exception.
In a recent interview with Metro.co.uk, Stellan Skarsgård was asked if he was appearing in the Avengers: Infinity War sequel. In response, the actor explained that this wasn’t the case, but that he might still make a return somewhere down the line:
“No I’m not. I’ve done four [Marvel films] and they have me contracted for five and they haven’t called me yet.”
Though it’s unclear if and when this fifth MCU outing might arrive, perhaps Selvig can reunite with the God of Thunder in the recently rumored Thor 4. If you ask Skarsgård, however, Marvel has a habit of calling on his services whenever they need a character to explain the trippy science of the saga:
“They usually call me when they need some weird plot to be explained in a quasi-scientific way.”
The actor went on to recall how he thought his appearance in 2011’s Thor would be his only outing in the franchise, but was happy to be brought back for three more movies:
“I thought it was a one-time thing, but the contract said if they wanted me they could use me for five films, but I didn’t think they’d use me for four so it was a surprise. It was a pleasant surprise because I’ve had a lot of fun on those shoots.”
Though Skarsgård will apparently be a no-show for the year’s biggest blockbuster, the actor still has several projects lined up for the near future, including TV miniseries Chernobyl and Denis Villeneuve’s star-studded Dune reboot.
Meanwhile, Avengers: Endgame is expected to feature a variety of familiar faces from across the MCU timeline, perhaps by way of the movie’s heavily rumored time travel plot. And while we can seemingly cross Selvig off the list of potential returning players, we’ll see just how many surprise comebacks the Russo Brothers have lined up when the film hits theaters on April 26th.